Overlooking a large oasis on the right bank of the Indus, across the river from the famous monastic complex of Alchi in the the high altitude desert that is Ladakh, is a set of little known ancient caves above the village of Saspol. Thought to be formed by tides of a lake that once existed here and are now home to some spectacular medieval Tibetan Buddhist art. 

These caves are officially called the Gon-Nila-Phuk Cave Temples but are popularly known as the Saspol caves and regarded by some as the Ajanta of the Himalayas. Atop the hill is also a fort believed to be from the 9th century. 

It is believed that for a while, the Buddhists in the area were persecuted and then Buddhism was reintroduced from Kashmir where the tradition still held strong. The 10th century scholar and translator Rinchen Zangpo is credited with building a large number of temples and monasteries across Western Tibet. The caves at Saspol are also attributed to him. 

The paintings are an invaluable source of understanding the history and evolution of Buddhism and Buddhist thought in the region. The original paintings are believed to be from the 10th century but many have been retouched and some believe redone in the succeeding centuries. Some iconography suggests images made in the 15-16th century. 

The caves must have once been inhabited by a number of monks and must have been abandoned when the caves started to collapse. The caves in these areas are not made of rock but of an unstable moraine that melts in the rain. 

Folklore maintains that these caves, which are today in various stages of deterioration housed disciples of Zangpo who used them as a canvas to practice and perfect the imagery that would go on to decorate the walls during Zangpo’s temple building spree.